REGULAR READERS of the INQ know that Intel sells boxed and tray CPUs, and the firm has now revealed its segmentation plan for Prescotts to its distributors and dealers for the boxed variety.
There will be two types of boxed processor, so consumers buying Prescotts should take note of the conventions too.

According to a document seen by the INQ, the LGA775 socket will rule the roost between the second half of 2004 to the first half of 2005, using Intel's "Universal" FMB.

This has to be distinguished from the mPGA478 socket which will struggle on for a little while yet.

The plan is to reduce multiple socket 478 SKUs to two LGA 775 SKUs, and Intel will introduce a naming convention for these in due course too, which it will publicise.

The two SKUs are for a 115 watt Universal FMB, and for a 2004 Value FMB which manages 84 watts.

The firm will seek to protect the channel by introducing platform compatibility guides, with boxed CPUs market either platform compatibility guide 04A or 04B. Third party boxes will me marked as belonging to the FC-LDA4 package, and Intel hopes to include info on the chip hologram, and to inscribe either 04B or 04A on the CPU itself after launch.

For example, a label on a box would include the name, such as Pentium 4 550, the frequency at 3.40GHz, the front side bus, the L2 cache size and then the 04B designation. This label will also say the new processor numbers are "not a measure of performance".

All motherboards have to be branded with either a sticker or art work on the box, with the relevant 04B or 04A marking.

So, one more time. The 04A mark means a mainstream value FMB, while the 04B means an LGA 775 "performance" or Universal FMB. This means that when you buy a motherboard, be very careful you buy A or B, depending on what the task is fit for. µ